I can't believe it's taken me this long to finish this. The vast majority of this chapter felt like I was pulling a boot out of thick mud.
Hopefully the next one will flow faster.
Thanks for sticking with me guys. As always, comments(not trolls) and feedback are welcome.
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Ashur's face just cleared the water. Sitting on the floor of the pool with his eyes and nose above the waterline, he still glared ominously at the two women who were grinning at him from their seats across the water. Grumbling to himself, he plotted his revenge.
"You can't still be mad," Mera complained. "We said we were sorry."
The two women had spent the first hour after he had regained consciousness sitting quietly and contritely, talking in whispers to each other as he nursed his aching head. Once his arm had started to heal, they obviously felt that their time of penance was over and had begun their gentle ribbing.
Lifting his head from the water he groused, "You're not the ones with a concussion and broken arm."
When Xakelle had chirped at them after their coupling, Ashur had been so startled that his battle instincts had made him jump to his feet. Unfortunately, his left foot had come down on the edge of a towel in such a way that it had slid out from underneath him. The leftover spray from Mera's climaxes had further lubricated the stone floor which reduced his already failing stability. The big man had fallen forward into the podium where the outside of his right upper arm had connected with one of the topmost edges and snapped on the unyielding corner. He had spun from there and only Mera's quick response had saved him from breaking his neck. Unfortunately, it didn't save him from hitting his head on the hard ground with enough force to render him unconscious.
By the time he had opened his eyes, he was sitting in the warm water again. The only saving grace in the entire matter was that he was being propped up by two soft and very pliable bodies. His companions were sitting to each side and had his arms draped over their shoulders to keep his head above water. They had both squealed and batted at his hands when he reflexively squeezed the breasts that just happened to lay under his palms.
Once he was able to sit upright on his own, Xakelle had moved to the seat behind him and used her spread legs for his support. Her breasts occasionally brushed the top of his head whenever she leaned forward to emphasize a point in her conversation with Mera.
That had been nice, but what had set him off to grumbling was when Mera informed him that she had known their hostess had been in the room and watching. The blue woman was dumbfounded that he hadn't been aware and chided him for his lack of situational awareness. When he reminded her that she was the only one he could sense, and only in the Library proper, she had apologized and moved with the maroon woman to the other side of the pool to continue their discussion.
Now, he checked his injuries again. Xakelle had told them that the water of the pool would speed his healing by giving his Library-gifted abilities a boost. Indeed, his head had cleared and stopped hurting a while ago, but his arm would take another half-hour to restore itself.
The Guardian submerged his mouth once again and listened to the very technical dialogue the ladies were having regarding enhancements for the Library. He was still learning the basics of the Lexicon and, even though he could grasp fragments of their conversation, most of what they were saying made little-to-no sense to him. The fact that Mera was occasionally stymied and had to ask for an explanation made him feel better, but not by much.
He mentally turned away from them and looked inward towards his own dilemma. Mera's reassurance of his honor and morality had helped in a few small ways, but he still felt unworthy of the responsibility they were eager to heap upon him. There was no way that he could guarantee that he wouldn't slip up somewhere and make the wrong choice. It was impossible.
And what if he did make a colossal blunder? How many lives might be affected or even ruined? He could live with hurting himself. He could even accept that his partner would get injured or maybe killed in their new calling. It wouldn't be the first time she had been on the brink of death by what she had told him.
No, what he couldn't bring himself to face was the possibility of an innocent having to suffer as a result of his mis-judgment because it wouldn't be the first time. On one of his first scout commands, he had mistaken a ramshackle, huddled group of tents for an enemy's camp in the dusk twilight and had ordered a full charge. Fortunately, an old sergeant had caught the younger soldier's mistake before the main body of Ashur's forty troops had engaged. The experienced veteran had called a halt, but for some of the inhabitants, it had been too late.
The young commander had stood and wept over the five bodies and had not let go of the child until the old sergeant pulled her lifeless form from his arms. When youthful, tear-filled eyes had looked up, they met the gauging and knowing face. "At least you'll learn from this one," the older man had gruffly remarked before walking away.
Ashur had nearly given up his command, but his determination not to make the same mistake drove him to consider each decision and order before acting on them. Even so, he wouldn't lie to himself that the possibility of another tragic accident didn't exist. For now, however, he would have to put all of that aside and trust that his more experienced partner could also be his moral guide.
His arm had healed while he ruminated and he stood in order to swing it and test its mobility. Both women had stopped and were openly admiring his naked form. Their hungry looks were the final distraction from his worries and he put his fists to his hips.
"Can I help you ladies?" he jokingly asked with a raised eyebrow. They looked to each other and he could see the mental agreement to continue their planning at a later time.
With a smile to Mera, Xakelle stood and moved toward him. The water traced rivulets from her breasts as she rose. The smoldering look she gave him clearly announced her intentions and he looked over her shoulder to Mera as if to ask "Are you okay with this?"
She laughed and nodded. "I'll explain later, barbarian." Growing splotches of pink were coloring her blue body. With a shrug and tilt of his head, he turned his attention back to the woman who was now in front of him.
Xakelle had closed the distance between them and was now so close that her breath wafted gently across his chin and neck. It was warm and strangely floral although when her lips and tongue found his, the taste of her filled his thoughts of soft days until she started kissing him in earnest. He almost jerked away from her as his mouth was filled with a sharp sensation that was spicy and almost uncomfortable. The sting soon faded, however, into a pleasant burn that suffused his body and any part of him that hadn't already responded to her was finding itself catching up in a hurry. Mera's gasp in the background told him that his reaction was strong enough for her to pick up, even with her abilities diminished by distance from the Library.
Xakelle's hand found the base of his skull and she pulled him tighter into her. Her other hand wrapped around his shoulders and he felt her breasts pressed against his chest. Once she was certain that he wouldn't pull away, the hand on his back dropped lower to grasp the firm cheek of his ass.
Beginning to feel more observer and less participant of their tryst, Ashur copied her hand position and cupped his new lover's behind with both hands and ground her pelvis into his. His cock had slipped between her thighs and was rubbing along the softness of her nether lips. Xakelle groaned and raised one leg against his side, wrapping it around him. They stood that way for several minutes, enjoying the intensity of their passion.
Eventually, Ashur backed up until he felt the underwater ledge against his legs at which point he sat, drawing the now moaning woman with him. The hand holding his head never moved, keeping their kiss while bending over him until she knelt and straddled his thighs. Once she was settled, his hands left her ass to run up her ribs to fondle her pliant breasts. She gasped in his mouth when his thumbs brushed gently across her nipples and she pushed her upper body forward as if seeking more.
He was mildly surprised to feel something across the tops of his hands until he opened his eyes and saw Mera looking over Xakelle's shoulder at him. The now thoroughly rose-colored woman had quietly approached them and was pressed up against the immortal's back. Her smile was hungry as her fingers interlaced with his across the maroon skin, eliciting another moan.
Since her mouth was so conveniently close to Xakelle's neck, Mera took the opportunity to start nuzzling and nipping at the skin there. The hand holding Ashur's head finally released in order to fist itself in his partner's hair. Xakelle reluctantly released his mouth to lean her head away from Mera's caressing lips, letting him turn his oral attentions to her nipples. Pink fingers cupped and lifted them to his face and he laved each of them generously with his mouth and tongue, alternating suckling and licking until Xakelle was moaning loudly and grabbing blindly for his manhood.